Trial date set in Hamilton Manor liquor license dispute

Times File PhotoHamilton Manor Banquet Hall and Convention Center under construction in 2008

HAMILTON — A liquor license appeal filed by a Route 130 banquet hall and bar is slowly winding its way through the legal system.

At the request of a resident, township attorney Lindsay Burbage provided an update on the legal proceedings surrounding the Hamilton Manor’s liquor license at Tuesday night’s council meeting.

“We have not been able to resolve any issues,” Burbage said.

Council renewed the Manor’s liquor license in June but imposed restrictions to curb the noise that neighbors said emanated from Trellis, the manor’s outdoor bar, on weekends.

In renewing the license, council set limits on when outdoor music can be played — not past 11 p.m. on weekends and 10 p.m. on weekdays — and ordered Joseph Salzano, one of the Manor’s owners, to install additional noise buffers along the bar.

Salzano said the music crackdown would hurt sales, and he appealed the ruling with the state Alcoholic Beverage Control commissioner.

The state granted a stay of the new liquor license rules, and the Manor was allowed to operate under the conditions of its old license, continuing to play music and serve drinks until 2 a.m. through the summer.

Burbage said he and the Manor’s attorney had met several times and were trying to hammer out a compromise.

“Their argument is they went through whole summer with no problems, no complaints, so can’t you please drop the conditions?” Burbage said. “We tried to resolve it amicably so we could move on, but we basically said the conditions are staying.”

A hearing has been set for February in the state Office of Administrative Law.

Salzano said the Manor is still actively pursuing the appeal.

The Trellis bar closed for the season Sept. 30 but remained open for the summer and was not cited for any violations, according to Salzano.

Resident Bruce Reed, who first approached the council over a year ago with complaints about the Manor’s noise, asked council to stand firm on the license restrictions. “I want to make sure that the more than 100 people that are affected by this are represented and there hasn’t been a change in attitude or enforcement of those resolutions you voted on in June,” Reed said.